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PBA: Barako Bull shocks Ginebra, keeps playoff hopes alive


Celino Cruz (R) zips a pass despite crashing into his defender, Billy Mamaril. KC Cruz

(Updated 6:37pm) Barako Bull Energy Cola stole some of Barangay Ginebra's "never-say-die" attitude, to snap their opponents' five-game winning streak.

With their 15-point lead cut down to five, Barako Bull hung tough by making some clutch baskets, en route to upsetting Ginebra 83-79, Sunday at the Smart Araneta Coliseum.

By garnering the win, Barako Bull improved to 4-9 in the standings, ending their four-game losing streak and tying the Air21 Express for the last quarterfinals berth with a game to play. Ginebra on the other hand, found itself in the midst of a three-way tie at 7-6 with the Meralco Bolts and the Alaska Aces.

Barako led for much of the way, building a 15-point advantage, 70-55, with 5:06 left in the game. Ginebra though came roaring back with a 14-4 blast that made it 74-69.

After a Tubid make with 1:35 left, Chris Ellis scored off a Tenorio miss to put the score at 76-71, with the Barangay still in the thick of things. On the other end however, Roger Yap hit a deflating triple that gave Barako a three-possession lead 79-71, with 48 seconds remaining.

JJ Helterbrand made things interesting, canning a pair of treys to slice their deficit back down to four, 93-79, with 6.2 seconds left, sandwiching a turnover on Leo Najorda. Ginebra sent Tubid to the line, where he missed both, after previously being money on the four prior stints at the stripe, but Barako came up with the offensive carom, to seal the deal.

In the first quarter, Billy Mamaril carried Barangay Ginebra with aggressive play, as he and Rico Maierhofer scored 11 of their first 13 points. On the other hand, Barako Bull had little going for their team, save for triples by Mick Pennisi and Ronald Tubid, as they trailed by five, 13-8.

However, Barako Bull picked up their play in the last five minutes of the quarter, combining mid-range jumpers with drives to the rim. The resulting 8-2 run allowed them to edge ahead by a point, until a breakaway lay-in by JJ Helterbrand at the buzzer put Ginebra ahead anew, 17-16, after the first period.

Come the second quarter, Barako Bull crashed the offensive glass and surged ahead on a 13-2 run, led by five points by Danny Siegle. Ginebra struggled from all over the floor and were held to only a single field goal in the first seven minutes. A Chris Ellis jumper brought relief with five and a half minutes remaining in the quarter, but his team now trailed, 29-21.

Since their run, Barako Bull did not score anew in the last six minutes of the quarter. On the other end, Mark Caguioa was the lone bright spot on the floor as the half wound down, as his three-ball, part of Ginebra'slast five points, cut their deficit to three, 29-26.

Part of the reason for the low scores was the fact that Ginebra and Barako Bull both shot poorly from the free throw line, making just 3-of-12 and 3-of-9, respectively.

After halftime, Barangay Ginebra was able to claw their way back into the game. LA Tenorio scored or assisted on their first six points as his team gained confidence after doggedly attacking the basket. Maierhofer finished a fast break play to give Ginebra a 43-41 lead with five minutes remaining.

However, Barako Bull retaliated with a post-up move by Doug Kramer, followed by Celino Cruz's second triple of the quarter. The sequence triggered an 11-2 run to close the third period, 52-45, with Barako on top.

Cruz, who came off the bench, scored eight points in the period for Barako Bull. On the other hand, Tenorio, Maierhoffer and Helterbrand accounted for 12 of Ginebra's 19 third quarter points.

Caguioa and Kerby Raymundo carried Ginebra at the start of the fourth quarter, combining for Ginebra's first 10 points. However they couldn't cut the deficit to less than nine points, as they failed to get stops on the defensive end. Barako Bull continued to fire away from beyond the arc. A pair of free throws by Celino Cruz then gave Barako Bull their biggest lead, 70-55, leading up to the final sequence.

The backcourt of Ronald Tubid and Roger Yap led the way for Barako Bull, with 18 and 14 points, respectively. - AMD, GMA News

 
The scores:

BBE 83 - Tubid 18, Najorda 14, Yap 14, Cruz 10, Seigle 10, Kramer 6, Pennisi 6, Anthony 4, Ballesteros 1

BGSM 79 - Helterbrand 18, Caguioa 13, Ellis 12, Mamaril 12, Maierhofer 8, Tenorio 8, Raymundo 6, Wilson 2, Taha 0, Maliksi 0, Espiritu 0, Hatfield 0

Quarter scoring: 16-17, 29-26, 62-45, 83-79
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